Smoke and Mirrors
by snakebit1995
Summary: Radiant Fic Gaston is infected with a massive curse, one that makes him feel hideous, despite this he search aimlessly for his lost beloved Belle. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

 **Liking Radiant so I wanted to write about it**

* * *

 **NO POV**

There once was a rich noble boy, despite all the trappings of his posh life growing up he always felt lonely after the death of his family.

Then one day a beautiful girl came to his mansion and befriended him. The two grew close and the rich boy wanted to marry the beautiful girl, but then one day a horrible monster attacked the mansion, the boy was scarred hideously and his beloved friend vanished and was never found.

"Haa…ha…ha…"

Heavy breathing echoed softly around the strange figure sitting in a cell. Soldiers walked by in a hurry rushing off somewhere, barely glancing to the curious figure from which the sounds emanated.

"Haa…hoo…."

The figure sitting there was rather tall, but had noticeable muscle tone, covering the clearly male body were long bell bottom pants the swooped over the thick boots, moving up his upper body was covered in a dark black leather vest with nothing but a pair of breast pockets on it. But the most curious thing of all about this figure was around the head, where it more a thick dark green, almost black, gasmask with one filter on each side, the eye lenses were so fogged over it was all but impossible to make out the irritated reddish orange eyes on the other side.

"Haa…." He exhaled again jimmying with the right filter

"HOOO!" he exhaled loudly, the sound of air rushing out like steam in a pipe filled the air.

The man stood up and strapped his bag over his chest and looked around.

"Haa…."

Looking across he noticed a woman being brought in, she was about average height and build, but the thing that stuck out most was her large orange hair tied up and curled in a rather distinctive manner.

"…Haa…" he exhaled loudly and kept staring at her as she was tossed into the cage opposite his.

"Ugh that hurt." The girl dusted herself off "Umm, hi."

"Haa…." The man simply let out an exhaling sigh.

"So uhh you got captured by the Inquisitors too huh?" she asked.

"Haa…" the man stared at her, his breathing sounding more labored.

"Grr…" the girl growled a bit "Listen here you punk I'm talking to you got it?!"

"Haa…" the figure looked off and then turned back to her.

"Creep." The girl sneered a bit and looked off.

The two were in cages on the deck of an airship that seemed to be slowing down. The man in the mask noted a commotion on the front of the deck before the cage holding the girl was aggressively blow open and she reached out to be pulled free by someone.

"Haa…" the man exhaled again and reached out, grabbing the keys that had fallen and unlocking his cage, stepping out in the commotion and grabbing his bag, reaching into it he pulled off the right filter on his mask and replaced it with another.

"HOOO!" air loudly rushed out as he looked to the side and saw another Airship with a pig like appearance pulling away.

Dropping down into a runner's stance the man jumped off the back of the airship prison and landed loudly on the back of the pig ship, grunting and pulling himself up, sitting on the back railing the figure waited for them to pull up onto a floating island and dock.

"I went before Doc to prepare and that's when I got caught." The female voice from before explained.

"Haa…" the masked figured stepped off the ship and looked around locking eyes with the woman, slowly walking over and ignoring the two men with her.

"Great another one!" the man with a thicker build said.

"It's you, that guy in the other cage.

"Haa." The man leaned in and studied her face.

"Umm, do you need something?" she gulped.

"…haaaaaaaa." A long wheezing exhale hissed from under the mask "Belle…"

"I'm sorry?"

He spoke fully for the first time softly touching her cheek.

"Belle why are you here?" he spoke in a bit of a raspy yet mature tone.

"I think you've confused me for someone else." The girl said as a small bat like imp creature fluttered around her "My name's Melie."

The masked figure tilted his head from side to side.

"I see…Haa." He exhaled again "My apologies for not speaking up before, my filter was clogged, my name is Gaston."

"They must have mistaken you and this thing for me and Alma." The horned boy with her pointed at the small creature.

"At first they asked a lot of questions." Melie said "But then my infection acted up and things got out of hand. In any case thanks for saving me sir."

"Seth's fine." The boy said.

"Of course, sir." She nodded.

"Oh hello new comers." A witchy looking girl stepped towards them "Did you come here with a member of the institute?"

"Doc." Seth pointed at the larger man.

"Haa…" Gaston simply exhaled and pointed at Melie.

"Oh that's good you can be under their responsibility until recruitment, it's a shame you just missed the entrance ceremony happening right now on the upper bridge. So you'll have to wait three weeks till the next one."

"Three weeks! He'll kill me in that time!" Doc grabbed Seth and ran off "We're going now."

"Oh boy a ceremony." Melie clapped "We should go too."

"Haa…" Gaston nodded "Very well."

Walking at the back of the group Gaston ended up stepping out to a loud ceremony with some kind of cat like creature.

"Thanks to the work of all you members or Artemis one day we will find a cure for our infections!" the cat said.

"Haa…cure…" the masked man wheezed "If only they could cure this…"

There was a loud boom near him and suddenly Melie was standing in a crater glaring at everyone.

"You again." She stepped passed glaring at Gaston "Just what are you following me around for.

"…"

"No answer huh, well quit being a creep or I'll blow you away to got it." She snarled a bit stomping off.

"Haa…Belle." He watched her leave.

' _So…she doesn't remember is that it?'_ he wondered _'it's for the best if she were to see me in this state she'd simply be horrified…'_

Gaston walked off and found Melie again.

"Calm now yes?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that my infection is a pain." She frowned "Probably freaked Seth out too."

"Haa…it could be worse." He exhaled before walking off "I need to fix my mask, one of the valves was damaged in my scuffle with the inquisitors, I'm sure you'll be able to find me should you need my help with something, I tend to stick out a bit."

"If you need a quiet place to work you can use my house." She said.

"Haa…thank you." He walked off before looking back "You should help Seth, it seems he's getting stuck in something."

"Oh right!" she ran off.

Melie gave her new friend her address and sent him off, opening the door he looked around at the somewhat messy apartment before closing the door behind him.

"Haa…" he reached back and undid the lower strap and seals on the mask, a hissing noise escaping as a thick smoke seeped out the cracks before he lifted it off.

"I'll need to be quick before they get back." He looked at the reflection in the mirror.

Staring back was a skull smothered in smoke and steam. It was no normal skull either but strangely animalistic, with a feline shape, teeth like a dog, yet tusks of a bore and horns like a goat, truly a terrifying sight, even with skin on it.

"This damn infection." He grumbled "I'm…a freak aren't I Belle, I look like some kind of monster. ACK!"

"I better make these repairs quickly before I suffocate." He wiped his mouth "How is it that some people get off so easy, mood swings, funny smells and more…yet I have this cursed face."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Oh there'll be more talking less "Haa..." in the future.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Heading Out

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Gaston's POV**

"Haa…" I let out a long breath and opened the door into a hotel, walking up to the desk I looked down at the woman running it, she was short, somewhat elderly but very welcoming, her body was kinda pea shaped "I'd like to rent out your penthouse room for the next year."

"Pardon?" she looked up and adjusted her glasses "We don't normally rent out rooms for that length of time."

"I'll pay the first six months up front." I handed her a paper "Will this suffice?"

Reading the bill her eyes went wide.

"Yes sir, thank you sir the room is yours for as long as you need." She handed me a key.

"Thank you." I took it from her, my mask exhaling as I headed up the stairs.

The key was cold in my hands but I slowly unlocked the door and entered in, for what they advertised outside the hotel as a 'penthouse' it was little more than a double sized room with a king sized bed and bath, but it was all I really needed, I wasn't going to mooch of Melie like Seth was and a place like this was more than affordable for me.

There was a large bay window with a small balcony, which Artemis was packed pretty tight in the living sectors it surprised me at how open it could feel when you stacked things up in creative yet clean ways.

"Belle…" I looked down and saw her walking by "I mean…Melie, she's not Belle…"

Still as much as I knew she was not her I couldn't keep myself from wanting to protect her.

"Haa…" I exhaled and stepped out of the room "I suppose keeping an eye on her will give me something to do."

* * *

 **LATER**

"Haa…" I exhaled again.

"AHH!" Melie, Seth and Doc nearly jumped out of their seats "Oh it's you."

"I overheard you talking, you're going to Rumble Town?" I looked at them "I can help you. I've been there before…for a job."

"A job?" Seth asked.

"Artemins does similar work finding Nemesis, I deal with people's sorcerer problems good or bad, Haa…" my mask hissed as I exhaled "I suppose you could call me a bounty hunter, I get things done, I'll help you get things done no charge."

"Why?" Melie asked.

"Haa, I just feel like it, do I need a reason to help some people, I suppose I owe this one for helping me out." I pointed at Seth "Rumble Town is dangerous, the Inquisitors there don't play around, you'll need my help."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Rumble Town

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Gaston's POV**

"Rumble town." I sighed as we flew towards the island "It's been a while since I went there, but last time I was there a riot almost broke out over something and I know sorcerers aren't always welcome."

"Yeah, I went there once too." Melie said "They aren't fond of our kind."

"Is Rumble Town nice?" Seth asked.

"It's quit noisy and industrial." Melie told him.

"It used to be a mining island but they've mined so much of it there's not much island left." I wheezed and let out a little snow.

Our airship soon approached the industrial island, the factories visible from far away, the scent of smoke and smog filling the air.

"We're here…HAAA!" I let smoke out of my mask "Let's dock."

I replaced one of my filters as we stepped off the airship and onto the island.

"You go through those a lot." Seth said.

"Without them I will die." I explained "It's a side effect of my infection, I cannot breath air normally…Haa where is everyone?"

I looked up and saw a shadow pass quickly over heard.

"There it goes." I hissed.

"Let's follow it!" Seth yelled.

He and Melie made their brooms appear and took off after the creatures, large mice like Nemesis.

"HMPH!" I did the same, following closely behind them "There are a lot of echoes, there's something big here…"

A horde of them had us surrounded, resulting in all of us getting split up.

"What a pain." I sighed "Rumble Down is still a mess it seems."

I let out some smoke and adjusted the bracers on my arms "I'll cut you down if I have to…"

Suddenly they all turned tail and ran, rushing off somewhere else and leaving me alone.

" _Did they run from a threat or…"_

I turned around and went back to the main dock where we first landed and saw that people were now out and about again, strangely unshaken by what had just occurred, I soon met back up with Melie, Seth and Doc and we headed to the house of the person that had hired them.

"This is the place." I let out some steam as we stood before the door on a staircase.

"Could they hurry up already?!" Melie banged on the door in one of her hissy fits.

Finally a small older woman opened the door, we must have looked like a bunch of lunatics since she tried to get us to leave even after calling us here.

" _If I wasn't like this getting into homes would be a matter of a polite smile."_ I thought

We were finally invited into the Zheds home, it was a family of many children, too many for such a small home.

"We're grateful you answered our call, we weren't sure where else to turn." The mother said "During an evacuation one of our sons was separated from us and met a demon."

"Demon?" Melie growled "You mean a Nemesis?"

"In some lands that's what they are called." I explained.

"No one else was there to see it but that's what he says." The father added "We tried to go back for him at the time but with the evacuations it just wasn't possible."

"Rumble Town keeps drilling and destabilizing this island." I told them "Hence the evacuations, it was like that last time I came through here as well."

"Who gives a shit we're here for the Nemesis!" Melie yelled.

"You hussy watch your mouth." The father huffed.

"You should watch yours as well then." I looked up through my mask "Haa…we don't have to help either, but we will. The Nemesis your son saw is likely related to the Mice like one's we encountered when we arrived."

"Oh Taj!" the eldest daughter looked up "Hey tell these people what happened to you."

The boy on the stairs was wearing a floppy hat inside and even had a bandana over his face.

" _He's infected…I can see it."_

"I didn't see nothin." He said.

"That means you saw something." I commented.

"Then I didn't see anything!" he snapped.

"Then explain all this purple goo dripping out your nose!" his mother pulled the bandana down.

"You saw the source Nemesis for all those echoes." Melie said.

"I said I didn't see nothin!" the kid slammed the door.

"They we'll have to do this the hard way." I told Seth "Come on we'll follow a trail and find that monster."

So we got to looking for the source of all the echoes we saw that morning.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **I keep meaning to make these chapters longer, hopefully once we get to the more meaty portions of the arc that'll become easier.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Echo

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Gaston's POV**

"So, this is where they said they saw the Nemesis." I looked around.

"That was weeks ago though I don't know if we'll find anything." Melie frowned.

"Hmm." Doc rubbed his head.

"He's getting worse, we need to figure something out soon." I warned.

"I'm just…dizzy." He groaned a bit.

"That's the same thing as this morning with the Nemesis." Seth said.

"It does feel like there's a lot of Fantasia over there." He pointed as I swapped out a filter on my mask.

"You're a walking detector, hypersensitive it seems." I said puffing out a little smoke and ripping a board off an abandoned shack "We're on the right track."

Looking inside there was a huge feather tree, multiple branches and large bundles of leaves.

"Alma showed me some before but never one this big." Seth said.

"The source Nemesis definitely lived here." Melie said "But they usually move around way too much for a tree to get this big. This size of the feathers is incredible."

"The source was here for a while, probably at least a week." I wheezed "That sliding window up there was how the echoes were allowed out into the city, this was like a home base for it."

"A Nemesis would do something like that?" Seth asked.

"…perhaps." I puffed out smoke.

' _There's more going on here, something more than just a simple Nemesis and echoes.'_ I thought.

Suddenly I looked back, the alarm clock was ringing to evacuate the city again.

"We should go, before this place collapses." Doc said.

"No, we should stay, last time we saw the Nemesis was during an evacuation." Seth said "That's when they move so no one sees them. If we stay, we might spot them."

"We also might find a hundred of them when the toilet paper man comes back!" Doc yelled.

"We're staying…Haa." I vented my mask "Stop being a child. We came here to deal with a Nemesis and that's what we're going to do."

We used Melie's broom to get a higher up view and it only took a few minutes to spot the horde running through the streets.

"There they are." I said.

"That is a lot." Melie added "Look though they're scattering."

"Then let's go after the smaller group." I said jumping down and using a seal to pull out my own smaller broom "You're a trapper, aren't you? Take on this challenge and catch all three."

"I don't know I've never." She bit her finger.

"HMPP!" I skimmed across a roof and dove after them "I'll protect you it's fine!"

I zoomed in front of the creatures and let out a huff of smoke.

"STOP!" I glared.

" **Titan Fist!"** Seth dropped down from the sky and pulverized one of them, breaking the street and falling into the theater below.

"That's three of them down." I jumped down a tackled Seth when one blasted out a whirlwind of fantasia.

"Are you alright?" Melie landed.

"He'll live." I said standing up "That one under the rock needs to be taken care of.

"They need to stay close and I need to get close to trap them." Melie warned.

"Then just hold it!" Seth ran in and bent the tail up as a wind gusted out "Hurry!"

"HYA!" Melie quickly pulled out a scroll and sent a binding chain out and encircled them "Get out of the circle!"

"HMPH!" Seth dove quickly.

" **Gravem Carcerem!"**

A burst of Fantasia rose up from the floor and began sealing the creatures away.

"Not bad well done." I brushed myself off "And no one died."

Then suddenly the ceiling buckled more and echoes started falling in from the street, seemingly having followed the rest like lemmings and getting captured.

"Looks like…seven." I counted.

"YESS!" the other cheered.

Just as quickly as they fell in the Echoes were sliced to pieces right in front of us.

"Hmm!" a man wrapped head to toe in bandages jumped down and landed on a broom, slowly he lifted his hat and looked at us with deep empty eyes.

"He destroyed them!" Seth yelled.

"My friends!" Melie whined.

"Murderer!" Doc added.

"It's the horned boy." The man looked at us "And others…"

He lifted his right hand over his eye and scanned for spells.

"A Barrier, Link, sealing…oh you were trying to capture them." He said "Grimm is sorry for ruining your plan. Grimm has other things to do, lost souls and disappearances! Goodbye!"

"Drop the barrier!" Seth yelled trying to chase after him.

Miele dropped the barrier and placed a mark on Grimm to let us know if he was after us again.

' _So that's Grimm huh? I've heard rumors about the sorcerer wrapped in bandages…"_

* * *

 **LATER**

We went back to the client's house to rest and clean ourselves up.

" _She really does look just like Belle."_ I thought seeing Melie streaking on her bed _"It's so strange…"_

I stepped outside for a bit to make a quick patch on my mask away from sight.

"Seems like things are going to get messy very quickly." I hummed hearing my jaw rattle a bit as I turned a screw "Alright then, I'll have to use them to make sure everyone gets out in one piece."

I looked at the gantlets on my arms.

"Guide me hands." I touched them "And make them swift."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Pick up point- Chapter 11**

 **Till Next Time!**


	5. Chapter 5: Vibration Blades

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Gaston's POV**

By the time I got back to the house a riot had already broken out in the streets and I was unable to find Seth, Doc or Melie, and I had a feeling thing were only going to get worse, though by following the most commotion I quickly found Seth and Taj getting held hostage at the upper rampart.

" **Rip Wind!"** I dove down from the other rooftop and sent a wave of fantasia out at the Captain holding them up.

"That's…annoying." I wheezed a bit "I heard you giving some lame speech, aren't you supposed to protect these people, yet your out here letting them riot in the streets and holding one hostage, you're an awful leader you know that."

I started blowing out more gas "So I'm gonna keep this quick."

I squeezed my gauntlets and two large blades appeared out of them.

"I'll rip you apart!" I smiled.

"Another Sorcerer coming to throw themselves onto my lance." He laughed "I'll have pleasure in killing you."

"Seth, stay back, look for Melie." I took in a breath "This isn't someone you're ready to fight."

"But-."

"HMPH!" I moved my blades into an X across my body to block a stab "I can handle this!"

I dragged my blade across the ground and sent out another shockwave, slamming into Konrad and sending him careening back.

I vented more of my smoke, when I get active like this and breath more, I produce more and more of it.

"HMM!" I braced myself again as a volley of cannon balls were thrown and shot my way **"Rapid Slicer!"**

I spun in place and threw out a burst of waves to rip through them, causing explosions all around.

"HAAAA!" I vented my mask again.

I leaned to the side as the pointed tip of a lane was shot at me via a chain. The chain winched and started reeling the captain towards me, I stabbed forward and flipped getting behind him but being unable to stab into him as well.

"You're slippery for a muscle head." I huffed "HAAA! Why are you so intent on defending this wall, what are you keeping out?"

 _Wait…not the cannons were._

"You're not trying to keep the nemesis out, you're trying to keep the people in!" More smoke poured out the sides of my masks "You're trying to kill all these people!"

I twisted a valve on my mask and was suddenly rocketed forward, the force of my toxic smoke propelling me.

"RAHH!" I sliced with both arms only for him to lean his midsection back "You're a pain in the ass! GRR!"

My mask buckled a bit when Konrad slammed his head into my face, lifting his spear again.

" **Ventilation Mirage!"** I swiped the ground and rolled at the same time to leave an after image that vanished with a puff of smoke only to quickly attack again from the side.

"These blades are not fantasia!" I stabbed into his spear and pulled it out of his hands "They're simply steel I coat in it! Even without magic their sharper than anything you have!"

I threw the spear off and pulled my hands back, covering the blades in vibrating back.

"No die!" I let out a mass of smoke **"Ventilation Vibration Vivisection!"**

I stabbed forward rapidly leaving bloody marks on the ground as I gashed the man.

"A leader does not sacrifice lives for personal giant." I snarled feeling my skull rattle "Now, to deal with those nemesis."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Pick Up- Chapter 15**

 **Till Next Time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Grimm

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Gaston's POV**

"Melie…" I let out some smoke as I swapped filters "Are you alright?"

"Uh…ugh…" she groaned opening her eyes "I think so I was…chasing a Nemesis and then something fell on me."

"Likely the bell from the clocktower, the flute playing woman disconnected it and dropped it onto the town." I adjusted some of the seals on my mask before turning back to her "Surviving like that, well done."

"Wait Doc is-!" she suddenly covered her face "It's all my fault!"

A wave of Fantasia cascaded off her hands, her face wrinkling with a mix of anger and sadness.

"Hmm, calm down." I warned.

"RAAH!" she waved her wand and blew a bunch of rubble around.

"Knock it off!" I warned only to get another glare as she tried to swipe again.

" _I was too harsh…Belle what would you do?"_ I thought back to her face, so much like Melie's…

"Stop!" I grabbed both her arms "It's going to be fine! I am not going anywhere!"

" _I don't know what happened to Doc, but I have to try and reassure her."_

"Calm down, don't let anger or your infection control you." I warned.

"He's dead and I couldn't do a thing." She started sobbing "It's my fault Doc's dead."

I took a short breath and patted her on the head.

"HEY!" Seth ran over.

"Oh there you are." I blinked "I took care of mustache man."

"Oh Seth it's terrible." Melie hugged him and I felt myself instinctively release smoke "Doc's dead!"

"Huh, he's right here." Seth reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny mini-Doc.

"He's shrunk." I said.

Seth explained her found this Doc at the corpse of the old one.

"Your infection, is shedding your skin like a snake." I commented "Though snakes don't regress to little kids but whatever."

"He's Alive!" Melie cheered "YAY!"

"There's still a lot going on, the Nemesis and Dominator, plus the inquisition is around." I said "Seems like the flute playing girl is taking a break, we should use this time to prepare to attack her."

"But she's on top of the clocktower, how will we get up there passed all the nemesis without a broom?" Melie asked.

"What about Grimm, he still has Melie's tracer on him." Seth said "He wasn't trying to kill us, he healed my arm I think he can help us."

"I'll try." Melie waved her wand and a ball of light started blinking "This way."

We followed it to a small graveyard on the edge of town.

"It's getting brighter he must be close." Melie pushed through a push "There."

Under a nearby tree the man wrapped in bandages was putting his hat back on.

"Your tracer was exemplary work." He said "Had Grimm known this unmasking the flute player would have been much easier."

"So you came for her?" Seth asked.

"No, she was a dead end to something else." Grimm explained "The trip was not useless though."

"She's not why we came here but we can't just let her destroy the town either." He explained "Can you take us up there?"

"Now you trust Grimm?"

"The cage Doc and Melie were in was opened by the cannonballs you deflected, it's not just luck that they weren't crushed since you made a point to destroy the canons too." Seth said "You freed them."

"The Dominator will be on guard, she has a great mastery of Fantasia, and that huge scroll likely holds a nasty surprise, the echoes are not a problem, but the Source Nemesis is fiercely loyal to her and protects her. It was injured but it will heal like other Nemesis, if that happens, I doubt an old baby, a hothead, a trapper and a gasbag will be enough."

"You must have something that can stop her." I wheezed "I've heard you've fought armies."

"…not without killing her." Grimm explained "And Grimm does not kill anymore, there were no causalities except property in his attack before."

"What about the disappearances?" Seth asked.

"Grimm has made a few souls vanish but only temporarily" he pulled out his broom "This is not the time for explanations, Grimm is leaving Rumble Town and he thinks you should as well."

"What if I handle the Nemesis, then you boys could deal with the Dominator." Melie said.

"That may be possible." Grimm said as Melie pulled the tab on the end of her wand and it expanded into a large lantern.

"You have a Conjuring Lantern." I looked at it.

"A what now?" Seth asked.

"It's a device that lets you redirect fantasia from a spell from a Sorcerer or Nemesis." Melie said "It's delicate work but if it's just the source I should be able to handle it."

"…Very Well." Grimm nodded.

"No way am I going!" Doc yelled "I can't even walk I'll just get in the way."

"He is right, he cannot come." Grimm said "Leave this to Grimm."

The mummified man cast a spell a large coffin appeared out of the ground, various limbs clambering around inside it.

"This will suffice." Grimm said.

We left Boobrie with him and Grimm sealed the coffin back up and we headed off.

"Is your arm in working order?" Grimm asked Seth.

"Yeah, feels strong as ever." Seth nodded.

"Up ahead!" Melie warned as we started flying towards the top of the tower "Something's coming, it's not Fantasia but…"

"Hmm." I looked closely "It's the Echoes! They're throwing themselves at us!"

I quickly pulled out my blades and took position in front of the others who were riding Grimm's broom and started batting some of them away as we went, the ones that slipped passed were dealt with by Seth and Grimm.

"I thought you got rid of these?!" Melie yelled.

"The ones she summoned when she appeared yes, these must be coming from someplace else." He said.

"That scroll on her back maybe?" I asked "There has to be something huge sealed in something that big. The just keep coming out!"

"Dodging will no longer suffice." Grimm said "We need to protect ourselves."

This time streams of Fantasia blew down over the edge and Grimm used a spell shield to push them around us but the others were knocked off his broom.

"Melie!" I flew back down to grab her.

"What about Seth?!" she yelled.

"He's too far to reach!" I hissed correcting the flight I was doing with my feet.

"How can you fly without a broom?" she asked.

"This mask is connected to tubes in my clothes." I said as she held on to me "I can redirect the smoke I breath out into it and wrap Fantasia there to make myself fly and rocket around. Though supporting others why, I do it is really inefficient and slows me down."

"What was that?" her other side growled.

"Nothing." I hissed out air and turned back towards Grimm "We need to find a place to land!"

"But Seth-." Melie started.

"He'll be fine!" I warned.

" _Something flew out of that Fantasia storm…"_

I turned back towards Grimm and we reoriented our position to strike.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Suggest what you want to seeing the future.**

 **Pick up- Ch 21**

 **Till Next Time!**


End file.
